Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Based on real disposable income per person, how much have Australian living standards fallen since the last election?

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll tell you what, they would have fallen under Labor.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Immigration will cease interjecting.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for the question. Real Australian living standards going forward are going to depend on something incredibly important. Australians, as they sit at home today, are concerned about their jobs,—

Ms Macklin interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Jagajaga will cease interjecting

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

their family income and their family circumstances. As they are thinking about these issues, they are looking overseas, they are looking at volatility, they are looking at uncertainty and changes. What we are doing on this side of the House—

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Sydney will cease interjecting.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are looking to ensure that we back Australians to make the transition that they know they need to make. As an economy, we need to make this transition to ensure that they have prosperity in the future.

Ms Macklin interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Jagajaga is now warned.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Some of those opposite have mentioned wages. The way for Australians to earn higher real wages is to ensure that we have productivity gains in the economy. That is how you get higher wages. Higher wages were achieved under the Howard-Costello government because they ensured that they put in place policies—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Treasurer will resume his seat. The member for Sydney has a point of order.

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order relating to relevance. If the Treasurer does not know, he should just sit down.

Government members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on my right! The Leader of the House and the Minister for the Environment will cease interjecting.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am addressing the issue of the real living standards of Australians. Those opposite might want to play these games—and I know they will—but Australians want to know the plan to go forward, the plan to ensure that Australians can have confidence. We have seen again in the surveys released today that they have increasing confidence, particularly in relation to employment conditions amongst business going forward. The reason they have that confidence is that they can see in us a government that wants to get the budget into balance and exercise the sort of discipline that is necessary to achieve that goal, a government that is interested in making changes to the tax system that is going to help people make the decisions that they want to make about their economic future. They know that they have got a government that is not going to try to scare them out of prosperity, as those opposite have demonstrated.

What we have from those opposite are those who are happy to have someone that they can tell people to blame. They are happy to have someone that they can tell people to be afraid of. But that side of the House will give no-one anything to believe in. On this side of the House, we are focused on improving the real living standards of Australians through higher economic growth and through better tax policies that reward people who work, save and invest and that can grow the income capacity of this country. You have got no better example of that than through the free trade agreements.